Valentines Day
by PluePantha
Summary: After a long day at work, Riza recieves a surprise from a 'Secret Admirer' CHPT 3 NOW UP!
1. Secret Admirer

I.

Riza Hawkeye, 1st Lieutenant to Colonel Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist, lowered her pen and with her other hand, rubbed her eyes. She looked at the clock mounted on the wall. It was 10:00pm; they were supposed to have gone home at 8 with the others. However, Riza was used to these late nights at work with her incredibly lazy and frustrating superior officer. As everyone at Central knew, the Colonel had a bad problem with procrastination. He would do anything and everything humanly possible to i not /i do work, and then panic when time had run out and he wasn't finished yet. Riza, of course, could have gone home when everyone else left, but she knew that if she wasn't there, Mustang would never get his work done. So she sacrificed her nights to ensure that he would not sacrifice his life goals. It was the least she could do.

She glanced down at what she was working on. Routine paperwork, nothing special or very important, but her vision blurred for a second. i 'Lord, I'm getting tired…' /i she thought, then turned her gaze back across the room to where the Colonel sat behind his large wooden desk. She was very pleased to see that he was actually working diligently, tongue slightly out to the side of his mouth in his extreme concentration. Satisfied with the view, she went back to her own work, the paperwork she would have to give Roy tomorrow. i 'Another late night, no doubt,' /i then her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden sigh of relief from the Colonel's desk.

"I'm finally done," he said as he stood up and stretched, letting out a mighty yawn in the process. He was like a big kid; it was as if he never grew with his body. Riza would have thought it was cute, if it weren't for the small fact that he needed to be taken care of like a big kid as well, which was just a big pain in her rear. The Flame Alchemist moved from behind his desk and crossed the room to the door, grabbing his jacket off the rack and flinging it over his shoulders in one smooth motion. "Good night, Hawkeye," he muttered as he opened the door. Riza also stood from her desk.

"Good night, Sir. See you tomorrow," it was what she usually said before he left, nothing strange about it, but for some reason the Colonel let out a small laugh and turned around to face her.

"Tomorrow?" at her puzzled look he continued, "Tomorrow is Saturday. I don't know about anyone else, but I won't be here!" How could she have forgotten it was Friday? Then he added, "It's also Valentines Day. I hope I'm not prying, Lieutenant, but do you have any plans with anyone special?" He seemed genuinely interested in the answer.

"No, No plans…" She never had any plans on Valentines Day.

"Is there a specific reason as to why?" he pried further.

"Sir, I have better things to do with my time than run around all giddy and starry-eyed over some man who has absolutely no interest in me." Roy smiled once more.

"Good night, Riza," he stated smugly as he exited the room, disappearing from her sight. Riza's hair stood on end as he said her first name so informally. A small shiver ran down her spine, but she shook it off and strode off to the Colonel's desk. Something didn't seem quite right with the picture. She looked closer as her anger rose to new heights. She flipped through the stack of paperwork Mustang had been working on and sighed in frustration. He hadn't even touched them! No, wait, that wasn't true, he touched the first one long enough to write a capitol 'R' in the corner surrounded by a red heart with an arrow through it, and that was it. Nothing was signed! No reports marked! What the hell had he been doing this whole time, then! Riza got her answer when she lifted the stack to get a closer look. A female lingerie magazine fell to the floor from somewhere within the pile. Riza stared down at it, then a very naughty word escaped from her mouth before she kicked it under the desk and flung the paperwork Roy had yet to do back onto his desk.

"He's completely hopeless!" And now he had double the amount of work to do when he got back to the office on Monday. "He brings these things upon himself… Sometimes I really worry. I predict heart attack." She continued to complain aloud to herself about the Colonels unprofessional behavior as she tidied her desk up, turned lights off, grabbed her jacket, and left the dark room to itself.

She made her way quietly down the deserted hallways out to the street. With a polite nod to the security guards at the front entrance, she descended the flight of stairs at a slight jogging pace. She had to hurry home and let Black Hayate outside for a little while.

She didn't get more than a few blocks down the street before she halted. She glanced down at her right hand as she pulled it out of her pocket. She held a small folded piece of paper. She looked at it inquisitively, wondering where it had come from. She kept walking at a slow pace and unfolded the paper to read what was written on it.

"My angel, My all, My very self, I wake from slumber deep filled with thoughts of you. Dearest, - I wish I had the gift of making rhymes, for I believe there is poetry in my head and heart since I have been in love with you. Words do not do justice for this feeling within me." Riza was walking at a faster pace now. This was a love letter for her? Who would do such a thing? Curiosity engulfed her as she finished reading. "I only ask one thing of you. Meet me in person at the corner café when the sun rides highest in the skies on that day which is holy amongst lovers. You will know me when you see me. Until then, sweet lady. Adieu. –Your Secret Admirer." She stopped and reread the whole letter one more time, making sure she got every ounce of information out of it as was possible. This was a puzzling and new experience for her. She didn't quite know how to react. It was slightly frustrating too, she didn't like surprises like this, and she most definitely didn't enjoy the game that was being played with her. So she made up her mind, she wasn't going to the café at noon because she was interested in the mystery man in the least. She was going to the café at noon because she simply wanted to know who it was. That was it, not a date; she wouldn't even let him see her. She merely wanted to know who was pulling her leg.

So with that settled she tucked the letter away safely in her jacket pocket where she had found it and continued on the rest of her way home to her dog and her life, the whole while she fingered the edged of the note gently.


	2. Perparations

II.

There was no movement in Hawkeye's tiny apartment aside from the persistent wag of Black Hayate's tail. A soft patting sound was heard as he sat on the edge of the couch, black eyes fixed intently upon his mistress' bedroom door. She was taking a long time to get dressed this morning, an unusually long time, and there was an unusual hopeful air about the living space that caused the dog's already short attention span to be cut in half. His patience was about as great as his body mass, which wasn't very big at all. Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer and broke the silence suffocating him with a loud yelp. A sudden frantic rustle could be heard from within the bedroom. He waited a moment, and barked again.

"Alright, Alright, Hold on a moment!" a woman's muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door, followed by more fumbling. At last, the door clicked open and Riza stepped out into the open living room. "So, Buddy, what do you think about this one?" She did a little twirl. Her shoes were simple and white, but looked nice with the outfit. Her white skirt flowed just below her knees, a very flattering length in Riza's personal opinion. Lastly, her short-sleeved button down shirt was light pink in color and tucked into the waist of the skirt. Her hair was down over her shoulders. She couldn't decide if she wanted it up or down today, but she decided upon down, seeing as how up reminded her of the office and this was her Saturday off. So down it was. Black Hayate examined her closely. She looked nice, but not over done, which was key in her plan. She didn't want this mystery man thinking she was actually excited and on a date with him or anything of that sort. No, this wasn't a date, just a - - Mission! An exploratory mission. Mere curiosity at the identity of this so called 'Secret Admirer.' In simple terms she just wished to know exactly whom she should point her gun at.

Black Hayate barked his approval and leaped off the couch to sniff his mistress' shoes.

"You hate them, don't you?" she asked, gazing down disapprovingly at her chosen footwear. "I'll change them." She turned on her heels to run back into her room, and the small dog trotted after her. He was going to be included this time; he'd make sure of it. However, Riza didn't get very far into the room before she stopped in her tracks. "Snap out of it!" She shook her head. i 'This is just embarrassing! I don't care about my shoes!' /i and with that she left her bedroom, shoes unchanged, and walked to the front door of her apartment. She grabbed her pistol from the side table at the entrance and lifted her skirt to reveal a black holster strapped to her inner thigh. She placed the gun securely in the holster and when she was completely satisfied that no one beside herself and the dog would know it was there, she pulled open the door and exited, followed closely by Black Hayate.

Moments passed in silence through the small apartment. Then the door opened once more and Riza ushered the small dog back inside. "Stay," she ordered and gave him that serious look that said she meant business. The puppy pouted, planting himself by the door when it was closed and whimpered. She always got to have all the fun!


	3. Miscommunications

III.

There it was. The Corner Café located on the corner of Main St. and West Ave. The café was a military hotspot during the working week, its location making it a short walk from headquarters and easily worked into their short 45 minute lunch break. Though, despite its closeness to both her work and her home, Riza had never actually seen the Corner Café before with her own eyes. Sure, the office had eaten from there many times before, but they had always sent Fuery out to pick to the orders while the rest of them finished their work – Or lack there of in the Colonels case.

It was cute, she had to admit, and it definitely had its charm. The red awning over the cornered doorway was welcoming with white lettering spelling out the name across the front. She noticed the door even had a little bell attached to it as she entered, letting the waitresses know of her arrival. There was a bar that stretched from the front of the store to the back wall on her right with six round, red-cushioned stools in front of it. All the stools where taken. On the left near the wall of windows were four small, two-person booths, each full with couples celebrating the most romantic day of the year together over some lunch. That, of course, left the three small round tables in the center, each also with only two stools a piece. '_What is this? A conspiracy against single people?_' She knew it wasn't, but nevertheless, she got the impression she was supposed to have a date with her, a significant other, someone to hold hands with and smile and share the way with much like everyone else here was doing. '_Silly_,' Riza thought, _'They must not work very hard –If at all- because people who do work hard to make something of their lives have no time for such folly…_' But as she sat herself down at the one empty table in the back facing the door so that she could easily see everyone who entered behind her, waiting patiently for her mystery date to arrive, a part of Riza deep down inside admitted that it didn't in actuality believe a word of it.

No one in the café looked familiar to Riza, not to mention everyone else was already in the arms of their own dates. She was surrounded… And she just realized that the whole café was filled with the smell of flowers and chocolate. Everywhere she looked, Riza saw kissing and hugging and hand holding. No one was alone, except for Riza, who was now making herself very involved in reading the menu so as to spare herself from anymore mushy stuff. Then the chime on the door sounded and her breath caught in her throat. Her mind was racing. '_Who could it be? Havok, maybe? Or Fuery? Mustang…_' Finally, she lifted her eyes from the menu to gaze upon the single person who had just entered the café and who was now smiling and walking directly to Riza's table. Riza stared openly as her date sat in the stool opposite her, returning her stare. She was dumbfounded. This definitely wasn't who she was expecting.

"Schezka?"

"Hello, Miss Riza!" Schezka replied happily. Riza's mind still hadn't registered everything yet…

"Schezka!" Schezka giggled.

"I guess you weren't expecting me to show up." Riza didn't know what to say in return, and it took all her willpower to prevent her mouth from dropping open right then and there. _'No, I would say not! Mustang would have been less of a surprise. Hughes, even! And he's happily married!_' Riza had honestly never even given the girl a thought; she was just Hughes' secretary, not exactly part of Riza's everyday life. She had no idea the girl was… _Interested_ in her!

"Schezka," Riza began as she reached out and took the brown haired girl's hands in her own, "I'm sorry, but… I'm not…" Schezka pulled her hands away.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong idea, Miss Riza," the girl interrupted. Riza suddenly felt a second wind and recomposed herself.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not here to go on a date with you. I mean, I do like you, Miss Riza, but as a friend. I respect you very much, but honestly, my heart is reserved for someone a bit more… masculine!" Riza looked visibly relieved. Schezka had just saved her from probably the most embarrassing and scarring conversation she would ever have had in her entire lifetime. But now that shock had worn off, Riza was filled with pressing questions.

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm supposed to make sure you actually showed up," was the answer. '_This was a gag! I knew it all along!_' Riza thought, slightly disappointed, _'the guys in the office planted that stupid note in my pocket to get me all worked up, then sent poor innocent Schezka out here to see if I fell for it or not!_' Riza was actually very angry now, both at the office and herself. Riza stood up briskly. "Wait, there's a message too!" Schezka added cheerfully, obviously not sensing anything wrong yet.

"I don't want to here it, I already know what it is," she gathered herself and walked past the girl at her table, muttering something under her breath about her gun and pulling pranks. Schezka stood as well. This wasn't going very well at all!

"Miss Riza, wait!" the girl called after the blonde, but Riza never halted in her march to the door. "Miss Riza! The message! It was-"

"I don't care, Schezka, Go home!" Riza told the girl angrily. Schezka was persistent, though, and ran to catch up to Riza at the door as she swung it open and stepped outside.

"It was that-"

"-That was I was going to be a little late." Riza walked right into the figure that loomed in front of her in her way. Her ruby eyes slowly trailed up the man's body before her. Shiny black shoes, neatly starched and pressed black suit pants, tucked into them was a white button down shirt with the top button undone and the collar hanging loose, a gentle smirk and dark piercing eyes, topped with a head full of black hair. Riza stared up at the face of Roy Mustang, her commanding officer. He smiled down at her before he decided to continue, since it was very obvious that she was in such a state of shock that she wouldn't be saying anything any time soon. "I hope you will forgive me for my lateness. I received a phone call this morning from my dear sweet mother demanding that I stop by and see her, and it didn't matter how much I told her that I had somewhere to be, she kept talking and talking and talking. I'm sure you understand how frustrating parents can be, So I snuck to the phone while I was 'in the bathroom' and called the only person that was free, Schezka, and asked her to meet you here and make sure you didn't think you were stood up."

"Well, that's not exactly what I ended up thinking, but I get the point," Riza stated, thinking back on her suspicions of Schezkas' feelings for her and of a horrible prank being pulled on her, as Roy laughed. Then he looked past Riza to Schezka who still stood in the café doorway behind them.

"Thank you, Schezka, I owe you one," he said to her and Schezka smiled brightly.

"No problem at all, Sir. I'll be going now, don't want to intrude any longer!" and with a quick goodbye to both of the officers, the girl was off down the street. Riza watched her run away for a moment, then turned back to her "date." Roy only smirked again and offered her his hand. Riza looked at it suspiciously, however Roy insisted.

"Shall we?" he pressed her, and finally Riza accepted his hand, placing her own in his offered one. Roy lifted it to his lips and planted an innocent kiss on the back of her hand. Riza watched wide eyed as he did so, and then pulled her closer, interlocking his left arm in her right. The two began walked together down the street, arm in arm.


End file.
